The Election Commission has announced assembly polls in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir, marking the first major political battle following the Lok Sabha elections. The Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir are particularly significant as they will be held for the first time in a decade and the first since the region’s special status was scrapped.
Jammu and Kashmir will vote in three phases starting from September 18, while polls to elect 90 members of the Haryana Legislative Assembly will be held in a single phase on October 1. The announcement came after officials from the central poll body visited both states recently to oversee election preparations.
Counting of votes for both Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana will take place on October 4.
The term of the Haryana Assembly ends in November this year, while the Supreme Court has set a deadline of September 30, 2024, for holding assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.